The present invention relates to automatic telephone answering and message transmitting systems and, more particularly, to an answering system including a voice synthesizer which may be programmed to repeat any of a plurality of pre-recorded words in a desired sequence.
Most of the automatic telephone answering systems in use today employ an audio tape recorder for transmitting a stored message to greet and instruct callers and then to record a verbal message given by the caller. In some systems, the user may listen to the recorded messages from a remote telephone by activating the home unit with a tone of predetermined frequency transmitted by an electronic device, or by other means. Also, certain answering systems include the capability of messages being entered, or "slotted" in certain parts of the cassette tapes to be played back only by using special code procedures; this principle may also be used in recording messages on such machines.
More sophisticated systems include microprocessors with tapes and disks to provide more elaborate services, including voice synthesizers for any required purpose advantageous to system operation. However, such systems are often suited for use only with special telephones and, in any case, are both expensive and bulky. Furthermore, none of the aforementioned systems, regardless of cost or complexity, may be operated from a remote, conventional, keyed telephone to program a voice synthesizer to transmit a desired message to callers, and to verify proper entry of the program by transmitting each segment as it is entered.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide novel and improved telephone answering equipment including a voice synthesizer which may be selectively programmed from any remote telephone to transmit a series of individual words constituting a desired message to callers.
Another object is to provide a telephone answering system wherein a voice synthesizer is selectively programmed by pressing individual keys of the telephone keypad and each word or other message segment is transmitted to the user immediately upon entry to verify that the desired data has been entered.
A further object is to provide a telephone answering system wherein a message for callers is programmed into a voice synthesizer in serial fashion and any desired segment of the message may be changed selectively and individually.
Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.